Category: Audio

Big Finish publish episode and cast details for series two Survivors audios

Big Finish have published the episode titles, script writers and cast details for the second series of Survivors audios, scheduled for release in June 2015.

Script editor Matt Fitton has contributed one script, cast member Louise Jameson has penned another, with director Ken Bentley providing the remaining two.

As well as renewed focus on the original trio of core Survivors characters – Abby Grant (Carolyn Seymour), Greg Preston (Ian McCulloch) and Jenny Richards (Lucy Fleming) – series two sees the return of original characters Jackie Burchall (Louise Jameson) and Daniel Connor (John Banks). Amongst the new characters being introduced in the second series are Russell (Tim Treloar), Ridley (Bernard Holley), Molly (Fiona Sheehan) and Irvin Warner (Tim Bentinck).

1: Dark Rain by Ken Bentley
Introducing: Tim Treloar as Russell, Bernard Holley as Ridley
Months after the plague, storms batter the country. As Abby resumes the search for her son, Jackie and Daniel fight for their lives.

2: Mother’s Courage by Louise Jameson
Introducing: Fiona Sheehan as Molly
The search for Peter leads to Aberystwyth, and a community of women who have cut themselves off from the outside world. But what appears to be a safe haven could be nothing of the sort…

3: The Hunted by Ken Bentley
Introducing: Tim Bentinck as Irvin Warner
Greg, Daniel and Russell need the help of survivalist Irvin Warner, who is hiding out in the Brecon Beacons. But predators are roaming in the barren countryside too…

4: Savages by Matt Fitton
Wounded, split apart and fighting for their lives, the survivors discover that survival isn’t everything…

Lucy Fleming (Jenny Richards), Ian McCulloch (Greg Preston), Carolyn Seymour (Abby Grant), Louise Jameson (Jackie Burchall), John Banks (Daniel Connor), Bernard Holley (Ridley), Tim Treloar (Russell), Fiona Sheehan (Molly), Tim Bentinck (Irvin Warner)

Producer David Richardson
Script Editor Matt Fitton
Executive Producers Jason Haigh-Ellery and Nicholas Briggs

The second series of Survivors is available for pre-order (in CD and digital download formats) from the Big Finish site.

Survivors - audio book of Terry Nation's novel

Big Finish complete recording on second series of Survivors audio adventures

Carolyn Seymour (Abby Grant), Ian McCulloch (Greg Preston) and Lucy Fleming (Jenny Richards)
Carolyn Seymour (Abby Grant), Ian McCulloch (Greg Preston) and Lucy Fleming (Jenny Richards) in the Big Finish studios, October 2014

Recording of the second series of Big Finish’s Survivors audio adventures has completed this week, and all four episodes are now being scheduled for editing, mixing, music and all post-production tasks ahead of the June 2015 release.

I had the great privilege of attending one of the week’s recording sessions, and was able to interview the cast in between the recording of different scenes and listen in (from the engineer and director’s booth), as sequences from the first episode of the new series were rehearsed and different takes recorded.

Material from these new interviews will be published next year on our dedicated Big Finish Survivors site and in the new edition of The End of the World? book that we’re currently beavering away on.

Big Finish reveals cover art for upcoming Survivors audio-book

Big Finish have released the cover artwork for the upcoming audio-book version of Terry Nation’s 1976 Survivors novel. With its ‘shattered glass’ design, the cover art evokes comparison with the original UK paperback and hardback editions of the book – which featured a smashed photo frame containing a portrait of Abby Grant.

Unabridged and voiced by Carolyn Seymour (Abby Grant), Survivors – audiobook of novel will be released in a six-disc CD set and in a digital download version in December 2014. Both versions of the Survivors audiobook are available for pre-order on the Big Finish site.

Survivors - Terry Nation - Big Finish - audiobook
Survivors – Terry Nation – Big Finish – audiobook

A deadly virus spreads across the world as quickly as the passenger jets that encircle it. Within weeks, most of the global population is dead.

The human race is thrown back into the dark ages. The few left alive must rely on the most basic skills to survive one day to the next.

Abby Grant ventures out into a strange new England, her husband dead, the fate of her son unknown. Jenny Richards flees London. Engineer Greg Preston arrives from abroad. Desperate lone travellers come together, their instinct to form a community, even if that means rebuilding civilisation from scratch. But not all who are left have such high ideals…

And while she has the chance of a new beginning, Abby cannot settle until she knows the truth. Has her son survived?

Written by: Terry Nation | Number of Discs: 6 | Duration: 360ms approx | ISBN: 978-1-78178-451-8

Louise Jameson discusses her work on Big Finish’s Survivors dramas

A new interview with Louise Jameson (Jackie Burchall), in which she discusses her highly praised work on the first series of Big Finish’s Survivors audio adventures has been added to the Big Finish Survivors mini-site of Survivors: A World Away.

Says Louise of signing up to take part in the series:

I said ‘yes’ before I’d seen a word. I don’t normally do that, but I trust Big Finish so much. David Richardson has become a really good mate. And as you say, the series was so highly acclaimed too. I didn’t see how it could fail, really. I think they’ve done a fantastic job with the soundscape. They say that the best pictures are on the radio, and I think that they’ve achieved that with Survivors.

Louise Jameson - Jackie Burchall - Big Finish - Survivors - audio dramas

Louise Jameson shares photo of her Survivors script for Big Finish series two

Louise Jameson (Jackie Burchall, Big Finish Survivors) has Tweeted a photo of the front coverage of Mothers’ Courage – her script for the second episode of the second series of Survivors audio dramas. Jameson is the first of the new Survivors audio drama cast to write a script for the Big Finish series.

 
Louise Jameson - Mothers' Courage - Survivors - Big Finish - 2.2

Big Finish confirm release of Survivors novel audio-book

Audio-drama specialists Big Finish have confirmed their intention to release an audio-book version of Terry Nation’s 1976 Survivors novel, to be read by Carolyn Seymour (Abby Grant). Survivors: Audiobook of Novel will be released as a 6-disc CD set and as a digital download. Both formats are available for pre-order, and will be released in December 2014.

Carolyn Seymour – star of BBC’s popular Survivors series – was in the UK last weekend for Big Finish Day 5 – and it’s been announced what else she was working on while here…

Big Finish are pleased to announce a release of the Survivors novel, written by series creator Terry Nation in 1976. Out in December it will be read by Carolyn Seymour – Abby Grant in the 1975 series, a role she reprised in a special appearance in Big Finish’s first Survivors release in June:

A deadly virus spreads across the world as quickly as the passenger jets that encircle it. Within weeks, most of the global population is dead.

The human race is thrown back into the dark ages. The few left alive must rely on the most basic skills to survive one day to the next.

Abby Grant ventures out into a strange new England, her husband dead, the fate of her son unknown. Jenny Richards flees London. Engineer Greg Preston arrives from abroad. Desperate lone travellers come together, their instinct to form a community, even if that means rebuilding civilisation from scratch. But not all who are left have such high ideals…

And while she has the chance of a new beginning, Abby cannot settle until she knows the truth. Has her son survived?

Survivors: Audiobook of Novel is available as a Download or 6-disc CD set, at a special pre-order price held until the end of December.

Survivors - audio book of Terry Nation's novel

Survivors audio-drama panel at Big Finish Day 5

Big Finish have posted a set of photos on Facebook from the Big Finish Day 5 convention (13 September) – including shots from the Survivors panel, which several attendees have been retweeted:

Survivors cast and crew - Big Finish Day 5


 
Carolyn Seymour - Big Finish Day 5


 
Terry Molloy and Chase Masterson - Big Finish Day 5
https://twitter.com/ChrisDalek/status/511200831027572736/

Kasterborous: “Big Finish to release Nation Survivors novel as audio-book”

In its report on the Big Finish Day 5 Convention the Kasterborous web site reports that Big Finish will be releasing an audio-book version of Terry Nation’s 1976 Survivors novel (in addition to the already-announced three series of original Survivors audio-dramas, the first series of which was released in the summer).

In its list of ‘things we learned’ from the Big Finish Day 5, the Kasterborous site suggests:

Big Finish will be releasing an audio book of Terry Nation’s Survivors novel.

Big Finish confirmed the news on 16 September 2014.

Big Finish’s The Night of the Triffids audio – additional behind-the-scenes insights

Audio drama company Big Finish have announced that the upcoming release of Simon Clark’s Day of the Triffids sequel The Night of the Triffids (adapted by the author from his own novel) will be made available with an extensive behind-the-scenes feature:

There’s already been considerable interest in the Big Finish audiobook of Simon Clark’s Night of the Triffids, the sequel to the the John Wyndham classic. Recording on the full cast production completed some months back, along with extensive cast interviews for a making-of feature. The cast (including Doctor Who‘s Nicola Bryant, Robin Hood‘s Sam Troughton) were more than happy to discuss their work in this action-packed sci-fi adventure.

Rather than add a normal ‘making-of’ feature to the existing two-disc release, we’ve decided to add a third disc’s worth of download content free to all purchases via the Big Finish website only. An hour of cast and crew behind-the-scenes interviews, this extra content will only be available to those who purchase (or have already purchased) the title from Big Finish direct

Preview a brief extract from the new new making-of feature:
 

 
The Night of the Triffids is due for release later this month and is still available for pre-order (on CD or through digital download) from the Big Finish store.
 
Big Finish - The Night of the Triffids

Survivors scriptwriter Shaw pens new drama on his meeting with Dora Russell

Don Shaw - A Meeting with Dora

A Meeting with Dora, a new radio play by Survivors scriptwriter Don Shaw (Greater Love, Mad Dog), explores (in fictionalised form) Shaw’s meeting with Dora Russell a redoubtable campaigner for “women’s rights, progressive education, sexual reform and birth control”.

Shaw visited Dora Russell’s Cornish home in 1979 while researching a film, commissioned from him by the BBC, intended to focus on the complex and ultimately failed relationship between Dora and her husband, the celebrated philosopher Bertrand Russell. The film never entered production, but this new radio drama revisits that memorable encounter.

Eleanor Bron stars as Dora Russell, with David Schofield taking on the role of Don Shaw. Shaw has a supporting role in A Meeting with Dora, appearing as John Russell, the troubled son of Dora and Bertrand.

Shaw explained to the Derby Telegraph  (9 August), “I took the idea to BBC Radio 4 where Jeremy Howe, head of drama, was captured with my account of my meeting with Dora.”

“While interviewing her, she became suddenly interested in my childhood. I had been the son of a coalminer-turned-postman. This contrasted sharply with Bertrand Russell’s childhood, he being brought up as an aristocrat living in a mansion in Richmond Park, Surrey. The play is set against the stormy background of a gale force eight and ends dramatically with an attempted suicide.”

“I’m really pleased with it and, thankfully, so are the BBC who commissioned it.”

The Radio Times’  preview of the play suggests that the play is: “a psychological drama about love, loss and the value of key emotional memories. […] A quiet, but powerfully nuanced piece of writing and acting.”

Don Shaw and Eleanor Bron were both interviewed on BBC Radio 4’s Women’s Hour  (22 August) about their work on the drama.

A Meeting with Dora will premier on BBC Radio 4 at 14:15 (in the Afternoon Drama slot) on 28 August 2014, and will then be available on the iPlayer.

Says Shaw: “It is very strange starring in a radio play that you have written and starred in yet the role of yourself is being played by someone else. […] Knowing it will be played to up to a million listeners is hugely exciting.”

A Meeting with Dora is produced and directed by Pauline Harris.